


The Art of Severing Slugs

by kumokubo



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 20:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8860954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kumokubo/pseuds/kumokubo
Summary: Some years after the fall of Cocoon, Lightning and Hope are still inseparable as partners, and Hope sure does get a kick out of pressing all of Lightning's buttons. Honestly, she probably does the same. Fluffy crush stuff ~





	

Muscles howling in protest, Hope let out a weary sigh that reverberated out from his core as he fell to the ground, bringing his knees up towards his chest before laying back against a rock. Beads of sweat dotted the creases of his brow where his hair laid slick to his forehead which he gingerly wiped at with the sleeve of his uniform, his mouth hung open slightly as he sucked in breath. He sighed peacefully, relieved to finally have a break - but then Light was upon him, dashing his brief moment of peace.

"Somehow you fared better on the field as a little kid rather than a grown adult."

Hope had missed her entrance and found himself gazing up at the rose-haired woman as she hopped down from a rock adjacent to him, hair glistening briefly in the sun before she had moved to join him in the shade of his seating place. She sat down some feet away from him, brandishing her weapon and taking a cloth out from her travel pouch to wipe down the blood and guts off of the blade. Had Hope not been used to the sight he might have cringed. He scoffed.

"Not all of us are always out running around and duking it out with the wildlife." He replied smoothly, earning a glare from his companion. "I'm not as well-suited to this kind of environment. That and I'm no longer a l'Cie."

"Neither am I, but that hasn't stopped me."

The beginnings of a friendly spat were interrupted by the sound of a mechanical hissing, and Hope had only just pinpointed the source of the noise coming from the treetops before a slug-creature had dropped. Before he could even react, Lightning had leapt forward, and Hope only caught a moment's flash of a blade; and then, the creature had hit the ground, successfully halved.

Gingerly bending down to pick up a slug segment, Lightning produced the fragment of the carcass in front of him. The smell nearly made him retch but Hope was able to hold down the rising bile in his throat with at least some degree of success.

"This what you're looking for?" She asked, thrusting the mass further into his face. Peering over at the severed body, Hope quickly noted the damaged esoteric pouch, responsible for holding the secretement of the slug. To his disappointment, the pouch had lost its contents - they were probably tarnishing and dripping off of Lightning's gunblade instead - either that, or spilt all over the ground.

"Could have been had you not severed it." He grimaced, scooting away from Lightning's offering, no longer wanting to have the carcass up close and personal with his face. With a scoff, Lightning huffed the slug body over her shoulder, where it landed unceremoniously among some fauna. Settling back against his rock, Hope closed his eyes, drinking in the scents of the Pulsian wilderness.

"Tch. Ungrateful..." Lightning muttered, and Hope lazily opened one eye to peer over at her. She was slumped awkwardly against the rock, hips jutting out and shoulders digging into the rock. It didn't look very comfortable but he chose to ignore her odd choice in seating position.

"I never said that." Hope mused, turning back to look straight ahead. "I appreciate your company as well as your escort." He hummed, tapping his hands against his leg. As an afterthought, he continued. "I'm glad it was you I got to come out here with."

She looked over at him thoughtfully. "Is that your way of apologizing?" Lightning quirked an eyebrow at him, humour flickering in her eyes. Hope laughed. It hadn't been a lie by any means - he liked seeing this side of her when it was just the two of them - her sarcastic humour and vulnerable moments resonated deep within him, eliciting the kinds of feelings he was much too afraid to confront. He waved his finger at her, chiding.

"Apologize? For what? I'm not the one who completely destroyed a specimen for the sake of being a sword happy fight-picker." She snapped her head back to him, eyes flashing dangerously. Had she given him the look seven years ago, she would have had him cowering in his shoes, her icy stare a clear indicator that he was approaching risky territory. But these days the look gave him a thrill, almost as if he craved it. Testing her waters was well worth it for the banter that ensued, and Hope knew Lightning well enough to let her sharp retorts roll right off of him. Alas, he was a sucker for her kinds of punishment.

"Tch..." Lightning snorted, not giving Hope the satisfaction of seeing her face as she surveyed the area. "You know, I think I liked you better when you were so scared of me you wouldn't speak. Following me around like a lost little puppy." She mused, eyes glimmering with amusement when Hope's face fell. Before he could make some sort of attempt to salvage his fleeting dignity, Lightning had stood. "Come on, we're wasting daylight. Let's get a move on." And then off she went, jumping up, up and up over the rocks and off into the woods. Hope grimaced, wondering if she ever took a moment to sit still and just... stop jumping. He took a moment to ponder the strength of her calves and how buff they must have been to support her continuous stream of physical stunts. Shaking his head to clear his head of the imagery of Lightning's toned legs, he stood, muscles wailing in protest, and headed into the wilderness after her.

"Isn't my escort supposed to keep watch over me?" He shouted half-heartedly into the trees. If he strained his ears hard enough, he almost could have sworn he heard a distant call back after him.

"You're just slow. Keep up with me, Hope."

-

Several severed animal carcasses and an afternoon past, Hope had gotten a hand on most of the esoteric oils from an alraune that he had needed for his research, but only at the cost of being much too far out into the Pulsian wilderness to get back to civilization before dark. The duo had agreed to set up camp for the night, both being too tired after their day-long expedition to continue fighting off the vicious wildlife, especially of the night variety. Lightning now sat tending to their small fire, blade sheathed and expression thoughtful as Hope sorted out his specimen vials.

Hope cursed himself for not bringing overnight supplies - truth be told, he hadn't expected so much trouble in finding the essential oils he was looking for. In the end, he hadn't even met his quota - the diminishing alraune population would have to be closer monitored by his team.

Research and other nerdiness aside, Hope spared a moment or three to gaze over thoughtfully towards Lightning. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared into the dancing wicks of the fire, and he found himself lost in the way the flames illuminated her face and hair, her eyelashes casting shadows into her icy blue eyes. He admired the way her hair fell delicately away from her face, looking oddly soft and supple for someone who had just spent a day slaying beasts among the hot and humid Pulsian wilderness. Her skin was smooth and clean as she had recently washed her face in the clear waters of the nearby river. Hope felt a strong desire to reach out and touch it, yet was smart enough to refrain, after all, he did value the working condition of his arm, and having it crushed by Lightning's fist surely would place a damper on the health of his prized limb. He grimaced at the thought, observing the rose-haired woman's muscular and toned arms as they laid relaxed, draped over her knees. Even in their resting state, Hope could clearly see the hardness of the muscles that lay seated beneath her smooth skin. Surely, if she wanted to, she could break his arms as easily as he could crunch a carrot between his teeth.

Not that Lightning would ever lay a single finger on him, however - that wasn't it, not entirely at least. The ambiguity of their relationship perplexed him, preventing him from making any further motions towards a relationship more... intimate, with his former mentor. Hope would be outright lying if he were to deny his desire to be closer with the woman, to keep her close - not as her friend, but as her lover - and yet he found himself without the heart to do so. It seemed as if for every forward step he would make towards her, she would take two steps back. But in the end, despite the pain of being able to advance to a status of more than just a strong friendship, Hope found himself unable to move on. His love for her, no matter how one sided, would always submit without failure. In the end, he resolved to always stay by her side, supporting her as her closest and most precious friend, never bringing forward the topic of his deeper feelings for her.

The feelings still haunted him on a day-to-day basis, however, quite relentlessly at that. And for that, he suffered.

As she began to undress for the night, Hope found himself unable to tear his gaze away. He grimaced inwardly as she pulled her belts away, stripped out of her uniform jacket and pulled the zipper of her cropped turtleneck down, down, and farther down until he could see the wisps of black lace peeking out from the curve of her breasts-

At this, Hope looked away, gulping. As thankful as he was for the closeness of their friendship, he almost wondered if there was such thing as too close. Their relationship seemed to extend beyond that of a familial bond - he couldn't think of a single one of his friends who would so peacefully strip down as an adult in front of their other adult siblings - at a certain age point, there just became such more a need for some decent privacy. And yet now Lightning sat in front of him some feet away, hair splayed messily over her creamy shoulders, collarbone exposed, top clad in nothing but a bra as she dug around in her bag, presumably for a spare shirt - one not drenched in sweat and guts - to wear.

Hope nearly missed it when she spoke again, rushing to compose himself - as if he hadn't just been grabbing an eyeful of his former mentor's ridiculously toned body. She had abs. Glorious abs, stretched taut by milky soft skin that glimmered under the firelight.

Some things in life just weren't fair.

"So, Estheim. How was your first expedition out in the field?" She spoke to him, pulling a plain black top over her head as she did so, and Hope was thankful that finally she was covered and the heat pooling in his gut would have a chance to settle.

"Oh. Uh... Good I guess. Good to have accomplished everything I needed to." He paused thoughtfully. "Must say though, pretty as the Pulsian forests are, they're tiring to get around in on foot. I'm pretty sore."

Lightning smiled at this, mischief evident in her eyes once more. Hope involuntarily felt his heart soar - he loved how playful she got when it was just the two of them. "You're getting soft. Just means you gotta get out here more." She hummed thoughtfully. "I get you though. My shoulders have gotten pretty sore from the constant fighting."

Hope managed to snort at this. "You? Sore? Truth be told, I didn't even think someone like you could get sore. I thought with all of the acrobatics, you'd be pretty nimble."

"Watch it, Estheim." She warned half-heartedly, before looking away, smiling shyly. Hope blinked, confused by the sudden change in demeanor. He became doubly confused as she looked up and patted at a spot beside her by the fire. An invitation?

Hesitantly, Hope got up from his own seat on the ground and made his way over, plopping down next to her gingerly. It wasn't by any means unusual for the two to sit close, but for Lightning to explicitly motion for him to come over - that was something new. She was normally so adamant about keeping her personal space. He gulped nervously at the increased proximity, something he never quite grew used to. She turned to him, offering a second shy smile, before reaching out towards him.

Hope nearly yelped as he felt Lightning grip the muscled area of his shoulders with both of her hands from behind. She withdrew her hands at a speed comparable to that of her very namesake.

"Hope, what are- Why are you yelling?" She scoffed at him, clearly unimpressed.

"Why are you attacking me? You're the one who told me to come over here!" He glanced at her incredulously, but she only looked back at him, confusion alight upon her face.

"Attacking you?" She looked dumbfounded. "Are you stupi- You know what, forget it. It was a dumb idea anyways."

As she turned away from his to gaze back at the fire, Hope felt his curiosity piqued. "What... were you going to do then?"

She turned back to him, cheeks flushed with what appeared to be... embarrassment? Was she actually embarrassed? "I was going to try to help you alleviate some of that soreness." She muttered, and Hope's eyes widened.

"You were going to give me a massage?" He stammered, unable to believe his ears.

"Sorry. Momentary lapse in judgement." She brushed him off awkwardly, moving her arms back over into her own space. Hope mentally kicked himself at the wasted opportunity. This is what he got for thinking too much about how Lightning's buff arms could probably snap him in half.

The incident was followed by a tense silence, and Hope could feel Lightning's discomfort radiating off of her like the heat from a fresh wound. He could tell by her fidgeting that she wanted to shift away from him, but she was likely too proud to move away after having been the one to invite him over to sit. Lightning shifted next to him, rolling her shoulders. From the motion, he developed the beginnings of an idea. Scooting closer to her, Hope reached out a single arm to grip her shoulder, being careful to move slow as not to agitate the woman further.

She turned sharply to look at him, and Hope took the initiative to pull her in slightly closer with both hands, finding their positions under the soft muscles of her back. She seemed to understand what he was doing and instantly tensed up.

"Hope, you don't have to do that. It's fine." She dismissed, but Hope would have none of it.

"You said you were sore too, right? Loosen up Light, it's alright." He attempted to soothe, but Lightning's muscles failed to relax. Grunting, Hope pressed farther into the hard muscles of her back, and suddenly Lightning's shoulders fell and she let out a pained gasp.

Hope instantly drew his hands back, feeling suddenly foolish at his bold move. "Oh, oh no- Light, I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Sorry, I thought maybe I could-" He began to ramble, but Lightning cut him off before he could finish.

"No, no! Hope, it's okay. It... It felt... good." Her voice faltered on the last word and she turned her head away to stare at the ground, rolling her shoulders back experimentally, before hesitantly adding, "you can... keep going if you want to." Hope could hardly believe what he had just heard.

Shifting slightly, Hope brought his arms up once more to Lightning's shoulders, rubbing them gingerly. She had relaxed significantly and Hope was able to finally feel and work out the knots in her back. She groaned now and then, mouth open in a hiss, and Hope would falter briefly until she gave him the go ahead to keep going.

"Are... are you sure I'm not hurting you, Light?" He questioned as she let out a low growl. Hope moved his arms back at this, but she turned around to glare at him. Her eyes immediately softened as she read the concern on his face, and she turned away, the beginnings of a fresh blush upon her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I just have really stiff shoulders." She responded, and Hope returned his hands to the aforementioned part of her body. Bringing his hands further down, he began to work his thumbs into the lower portions of her back. He was shocked by just how significantly stiff her muscles were.

"Stiff is an understatement." He hummed, pressing his thumbs into the muscle to soothe out a particularly hard knot. Lightning chuckled slightly at this, before moaning out as he worked his thumbs into a sensitive part of her back.

"Yeah... that would be multiple years worth of soreness. I've... never actually gotten a massage before." She admitted quietly, and Hope looked up, keeping mind not to stop his work. Lightning leaned her head back in pleasure, eying him through half lidded eyes, lips parted as she panted. He felt his breath hitch in his throat and wondered if she knew just how... good she looked right now. He gulped as she continued. "I never really... trusted anyone to..." She trailed off meaningfully, and as Hope soothed his fingers gently into her strained muscle, she suddenly clenched her eyes shut, arching her back and leaning heavily into him.

"God, yes..." She cooed as she fell into him, her weight falling heavy into his lap. Prying his hands out from under her back, he stared down at the woman who had fallen on top of him. Her eyes were closed and her face held a serenity that he had not seen from her before. Her eyes opened slowly to meet his that gazed down upon her, and her hand tentatively reached up to brush against his cheek. Hope held his breath, unsure of what to make of the situation. He tried desperately to stifle the growing heat pooling in his stomach, willing himself to stay composed. Lightning gaze up at him, her breathing laboured. The firelight danced teasingly against her skin, and he noted that he could see the reflection of the clear sky in the depths of her dark eyes.

"You're really good at that..." She murmured as she stared up at him. "Thank you."

Hope blinked at her, sucking in a deep breath. "Anything for you, Light." He responded softly as he began to softly thread his fingers through her hair. She sighed at the contact, eyes fluttering closed once more. After a moment, she spoke again.

"You have a gentle touch." She stated simply. It hadn't been at all what Hope was expecting.

He moved his hand to experimentally brush up against the sides of Lightning's face and was shocked to find that she leaned into his touch. Where was all of this coming from? For all of the times that she had previously avoided his advances, why had she now become so affectionate?

"Light...?"

"Gentle... yes, very gentle. A little too gentle to be neck-deep in hostile wilderness, wouldn't you say?" Her eyes flashed, and Hope had hardly registered her comment before the sound of metal grinding against holster had cut through the air. The leaves of the trees above them rustled briefly before a hissing noise was heard, and down dropped a slug. Lightning however was fast and skilled beyond even the slightest shadow of a doubt, and with a single step forward and a flick of her wrist the monster had been impaled by her blade. With a last parting screech the creature fell silent and Lightning stepped back, glancing down briefly at a bewildered Hope, hands still frozen as if he were still caressing her hair. Blowing away stray strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes, she gingerly offered the skewered corpse to Hope.

"There you go. Gut pouch still intact this time, just the way you like it." She smirked, and Hope shook his head, jolting himself back to the present.

"Now where would I be without you..." He mused before laughing slightly, removing the offering and hoisting himself up. Quick as it had come, the tender moment had passed, and the sooner he drained the fluids the better. To his surprised, Lightning had called after him, voice soft.

"You'll never be without me."

Midstep, Hope whipped his head around to look back at her, unsure if he had heard right. "What?"

"Listen, if field expeditions with you yield me a quality back rub like that now and then, then I suppose you'll have earned your keep as my combat partner." She muttered in what was probably an attempt to be stoic as she usually was, but Hope was unable to keep himself from laughing.

"What? What's funny?" She snorted, quirking her brow at him as she liked to do.

"Light, if you want a back rub from me at any time, you can just ask. There's no need for a combat partner prerequisite." He smiled at her genuinely, and nodded.

"Alright. So then, no combat partners." She hummed. "Alright, then we're partner partners. Deal?" She nodded to herself, as if considering her own words. "I guess that works. I suppose then I won't penalize you for being too gentle then."

Hope could hardly believe his ears and wondered briefly whether or not she recognized the nature of her words, or how they were coming across. "Partner partners, huh? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were coming onto me." He wiggled his eyebrows for good measure, but only received a dry look in response. Unable to contain himself now, Hope continued. "So... what's the nature of 'partner partners' then anyways? Do I even get a job description?"

Lightning pondered this for a moment. "I'll accompany your on trips and in your free time for protection purposes. You can give me massages as payment. We can engage in other mutual benefits as well."

"Mutual benefits?" Hope snorted. "And what would those mutual benefits consist of?" He asked, interests piqued. Lightning looked briefly startled, almost as if she thought he might already know. With a deadpan face, she slowly stepped forward. Noting a subtle change in atmosphere, Hope gulped. The woman had stayed eerily silent in response, and for whatever reason, Hope found his heart thundering in his chest as Lightning stepped closer and closer to him, until she was right in front of him.

And then she had pressed her lips to his, quick and nonchalant. Before he even had a chance to doubt his own perceptions, she had planted another chaste kiss on his cheek and pulled back.

Dumbfounded, Hope simply stared at her, mouth having fallen slack nearly instantly. Smirking deviously, Lightning gave him a quick few pats on the cheek.

"Mutual benefits," she had said, before turning away to sit back down by the fire.

In the following few moments, Hope had successfully gutted the slug carcass, only to accidentally spill the prized fluids all over the ground in his bewilderment. Not that in mattered, of course. After all, there was still a big forest to explore, with none other than his partner partner - girlfriend? To explore it with. Whatever it was they shared, be it a relationship, friendship, a friendly alliance with... mutual benefits - Hope was more than thrilled in that moment to know that it was Lightning Farron he shared it with.

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO EVERYONE~ Sorry for long time no post, school's been pretty ughh the past few months x_X still working on Soldier's Resolve but I might have to put it on hold just for a bit until things are less chaotic PLEASE FORGIVE MEEE at least... here's some dinky silly fluff?? :"D Honestly there's no point to this, I just wanted to do some HopeLight banter >__>;; Been reading too many angsty stories lately! D;


End file.
